As for me and my house we will serve the Lord....



Sunday, September 26, 2010

A sick cow on Sunday


I'd like to thank our grandadughter almost 4 year old Xaris for today's picture (and her dad for sending it by facebook)of Grandpa's cow.
This morning with chores done we hurried off to Victor's church for the special Thanksgiving service, with a big plastic container of milk in the front of the car. I sat in back with the boys and we think that there is a a little more shoulder room in the back seat of the "classic" Lada model than the new one we have. Last year the three of us fit pretty comfortably in the back seat, but with the recent growth by the boys, it's rather uncomfortable for a long drive.
It takes a little more than half an hour to get to church (almost the same as the drive to Steinbach from the farm in Manitoba) and when we arrived Victor was outside to tell Garry that one of the neighbors and Maxim had phoned to say that there was a cow with a bloody nose. Garry decided that he needed to drive back and check on her, although they had called a vet. I said that a bloody nose was either nothing or a cow that was going to die. Garry drove back to village thinking about whether he would have to have a cow turned into hamburger right after buying her. Turned out she wasn't really bleeding but was having trouble standing when he arrived. She had eaten all her feed for the morning, and as much as she could reach of her neighbors, so they decided maybe a stomach problem, as they called a number of vets - and could not get anyone. Maxim went to the the Aptenka (drugstore) and got something for upset cow stomach which they mixed up and got down her, then they put her into a bedded box stall.
Garry returned to church about 1:30 (it was over at 12:30, but there was a potluck type lunch after)Victor brought one of the five messages- his was about how we need to work as though we are working for God. He also said his parents told him he had to study growing up or he would have to work. The choir that Denis and Daniel are in sang four times, they make beautiful music. The boys and I were sitting outside as the boys had felt to ill to eat- I think they ate too many leftover pancakes for breakfast. Victor had just sold all the milk we had brought him (50 liters) so we took the empty can back, after stopping for groceries at Metro (think Superstore- or Costco- you need a card to get in)
The cows was looking a little better, and after Garry had even tried calling the vet clinic in Steinbach for advise (he got the answering machine) he finally found a vet to come out, by this time we were thinking ketosis or milk fever- normally things that cows who have recently calved get- but these cows are getting better feed than they've ever seen before- and milking better- so anything's possible.
The vet gave her an IV and an injection, decided he'd come back on Monday and give her a magnet (for hardware disease- another option we'd discussed on the way home) to capture any stray metal in her stomach that can cause infections by puncturing organs. He's even bring an injection for Jonah's kitten.
The good news is the cow's condition is definitely improved tonight, and we have hopes for a full recovery. She looks like a real Holstein and is one of the cows that Luba(turns out Maxim's Leana was wrong), the older lady milks.
The Lada is fixed, Garry even got the door from the accident earlier this summer fixed as we have not heard anything from the insurance. We had to go this evening to get some tires as the spares were on- one of the front tires exploded during the wagon accident on Thursday, and the other went flat after. It also got a lot of the front end replaced. Garry went to bed so he can get up early for the drive to the airport in Kiev. He should be back around 8 pm with his parents on Monday night.

No comments:

Post a Comment